Title: Ovan Akta
Authors: Girlie_girl7 and FoxfireX
Date: 01-02-03
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They belong to Fox
Em: FoxfireX_00@yahoo.com, Girlie_girl74@yahoo.com
Category: XF, MSR
Spoilers: Rain King, HTGSC
Archive: anywhere.
Summary: Mulder and Scully go undercover in Amish
country to investigate flying cows.
Ovan Akta (Unusual Gift)
Friday July 19, 2002 Outside Honeyville, Indiana
Federal Forestry Agent Joe Warren enjoyed his job. He'd been traveling
through Northeastern Indiana's Amish communities, informing groups of
farmers on the perils of the dreaded Asian Beetle. The voracious bug
had infested trees in northern Illinois the previous summer and was
moving east in a hurry. The Federal Government, for once attempting to
head off a problem and not just react to the fallout, finally got
smart and sent their agents out to talk to tree nurseries,
communities, and farmers. Joe was assigned to work with the Amish.
He had been holding meetings twice a day up
and down the countryside using the big white
barns as gathering halls. His last meeting of
the day took place in the barn of Jacob Yoder. As
they dismissed, Joe paused in front of the
structure, wiping the sweat from his forehead
with his handkerchief. It was the time of year
that the heat rolled through that part of the
country settling in and bringing with it
stifling humidity.
Joe was amazed how the Amish could function with
no air conditioning, without electricity. They
didn't even have fans. He was of the opinion that
they were just plain nuts. How they chose to live
their lives was their business but he couldn't
wait to grab a bite and head back to the air
conditioned, shower providing, HBO offering motel
room he'd been staying in all week.
-- Leah Beechy was setting the table for dinner.
Her husband Matthew would be home soon. He'd gone
to the next farm over to hear a man speak about
insects that could harm their trees. Her two
older sons were working in the field while her
daughters tended the family garden. Gardening was
usually a job that Leah took care of herself, but
being nearly nine months pregnant, she had
decided to turn that chore over to her daughters.
That left her youngest child, Obadiah. If she had
a favorite child it would be Obadiah. He was
considered slow, with the innocence of a younger
child and a carefree spirit. Leah knew he would
be by her side until the Lord called her home.
The solid oak dining table was covered in a fine
white lace cloth that she removed with care. The
fragile cloth had been her mother's and her
grandmother's before her. Grandma Carper had
tatted the lace herself, a skill that Leah had
longed to learn but with children always under
foot she never found the time. Now with another
baby on the way it looked like the tatting would
once again have to wait.
--
Joe Warren had just finished up his second plate
of chicken and noodles at Fern's Diner. He had to
admit these people knew how to cook. He stood
outside the diner letting his belt out by one
notch and watching the sun slowly setting. He tossed
his jacket into the back of the rental car and
crawled in the front seat starting the engine.
He opened all the vents and cranked up the air
and was soon on his way back to his motel room.
He passed a neatly kept farm filled with
barefooted Amish children playing. The little
girls had their hair up in pigtails or rolled up
tightly in a bun, their brightly colored dresses
swirled around them as they played. The boys both
had a chili bowl haircut, blunt cut across the
front and short on the sides and back, they were
clad in pale colored shirts with blue cotton
trousers held up by thin suspenders.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse
of something in the nearby field. He turned his
head to see a cow hovering a few feet above the
ground. He hit the brakes and watched as the cow
slowly floated back to earth. He sat in the car
a second, not fully believing what he'd seen,
maybe it was the combination of the heat and that
second plate of Fern's noodles. Suddenly another
cow lifted a few feet off the ground. The
helpless animal let out a confused moo. Joe grabbed
the door handle and was out of the car in a flash
as the cow he was watching settled back down to
the ground. He stood by the barbed wire fence in
the dimming light. The small herd remained
grounded. Just as he was about to head back to
the car, cows start popping up and down like
horses on a carousel.
Leah Beechy was just pulling the chicken out of
the warming oven when she heard a low mooing
drifting in her kitchen window. She pushed the
chicken back into the oven and went to see what
was the problem. In the slowly dimming light she
could see a calf straddling her buggy garage. She
immediately knew what was afoot and who was to
blame. "Obadiah!" She called.
Out from behind her bridal wreath bush crept a
small barefoot boy. "Yeah, Momma?"
"Obadiah, I thought we agreed, no more messing
with the cows."
The boy grew pensive and looked down at his feet
muttering, "Okay Momma, but don't get mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you son, just put the cow back
and come in and get ready for supper."
She softly smiled at him.
Obadiah ran up the porch steps and started in the
house just as his mother took his arm. "Obadiah,
the cow."
The dirty-faced boy grinned at his mother. "Oh
yeah, I forgot." Leah watched as the cow slowly
descended to the ground and scampered off no
worse for wear.
Joe Warren quickly climbed the fence, racing
toward the herd, he stood mesmerized by the
sight before him. Cows were rising and falling
all around him. Unfortunately he was unaware of
the 900 pound Holstein hovering just above
him until it was too late. The cow came crashing
down upon the unsuspecting man. Joe Warren had
eaten his last plate of Fern's noodles.
Part 1 Thursday August 1
Basement Office Hoover Building
Agent Dana Scully entered the office to find
her partner Fox Mulder already there. She went to
get the coffee, since it was her turn. She sat
his cup in front of him, finding room next to his
big foot that was propped on the top of his desk.
He opened the top and took a deep drink. Wisely,
he waited until she had almost finished her cup
before he spoke.
"Scully what do you know about the Amish?"
She stood to toss her empty cup in the trash and
rounded Mulder's desk, perching on the corner.
"Well they are similar to the Kindred. They shun
modern conveniences, they put great faith in
their religion, their family and their community.
Why?"
"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to
live like that?"
"Oh no, Mulder! I am not going undercover as an
Amish."
Mulder got up and moved around the desk, placing
his hands on Scully's arms. He nuzzled her neck
and softly said, "Not even for me, Scully?"
"Mulderrr..you're not playing fair. Stop kissing
me."
"Not even for your partner, your best friend,
your love slave? I would have gone undercover as
a troll for you." She smiled as his dark hair
brushed the underside of her chin.
Scully lifted her chin to allow Mulder greater
access to her neck. "Okay Mulder, what will have
us posing as Amish?"
"Flying cows."
"I beg your pardon." She pulled back to look at
him, he straightened up and began gesturing with
his hands. He was excited and it had nothing to
do with being her love slave at the moment.
"Flying cows Scaly, bovine aviation. I have a
whole file full of flying cow sightings."
"And how is this an Amish problem?"
"Because the sightings only occur in or near
Amish communities."
Mulder points to a map of the U.S.,
"Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Texas."
"Texas? Mulder."
"The lone star state can't have Amish?"
"So why is the FBI getting involved?"
"Because this time a Federal Forestry Agent has
been killed by a flying cow." He was fairly
hopping in place, bouncing on the balls of his
feet.
"Oh, just the break you've been waiting for.
Mulder isn't it just possible the cow just fell
over on the agent?"
"You mean like cow tipping? Sure Scully, drunk
Amish boys go out and tip over cows on
unsuspecting Federal Forestry Agents."
"Well, it's as plausible as flying cows. You're
serious about this aren't you?"
"Scully, a federal crime has been committed. It
is our sworn duty as investigators, to well. . .
investigate."
Scully looked up at Mulder with a solemn
expression and said, "Mulder, you are so full of
shit. So how do you purpose we infiltrate the
Amish?"
"I have it all worked out. We spend a few days in
the library and on the net doing research on the
Amish, then we fly to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,
buy some Amish garb. . . "
"Amish garb?"
"Change our appearance, catch the bus headed west
and get off in Shipshewana, Indiana."
"Shipshe..."
"Wana. Shipshewana. The location of the agent's
death."
"Hmm, sounds like you've spent a lot of time
working on this."
"You were at your mom's last weekend, I had some
free time on my hands." He smiled sheepishly at
her. She hated it when he spent his time off
working. She was convinced he was going to end up
with an ulcer or infarct or something. He usually
didn't admit he spent his empty time without her
working on a case.
"You were supposed to be relaxing, Mulder, not
working." She smiled at him, shaking her head.
"Work is relaxing."
"Flying cows are relaxing?" She snorted at him.
"Not just any flying cows, Scully, Amish flying
cows." Proverbial kid in a candy store she
thought. Her expression softened.
"Okay, give me a day or two to look this over."
"Deal!" Mulder smiled. "Besides I need to find us
a place to stay."
"Oh and Mulder, if you tell them we met at a UFO
convention, I will be catching the next bus out
of flying Amish cow town."
Sunday August 4 Fox Mulder's apartment
Files littered the coffee table in front of the
sofa. Mulder sat looking them over, his hands
resting loosely on his knees. He cocked his head
to the side, then called, "Come on in, Scully."
She opened the door. "I hate it when you do
that."
He grinned at her, "So stop wearing those four
inch heels, I hear you coming as soon as you get
off the elevator.
"So, what's up Mulder?" She crossed the room and
sat next to him, kicking her heels off and
tucking her feet under her thigh.
Waving a paper in the air, Mulder said, "Our
ticket to cow town."
"Is that your personal invitation from Elsie the
cow?"
"No. Listen to this. 'Mr. Mulder, I received your
wire and we would gladly welcome you and your
wife to our home. Since the sudden death of my
dear wife's parents we have the older side of the
house available. I was saddened by your story and
am willing to let you and your wife live here
until you get back on your feet provided you help
on the farm and your wife helps my Leah, who is
carrying our 6th child. We will pick you up at
the bus stop on August 6. God bless, Matthew
Beechy.'"
Scully closed her eyes and rubbed her right
temple. "Mulder, what have you gotten me into
and how did you find this man?"
"The Budget."
"The Budget?"
"Yeah it's kind of like the USA Today for Amish.
It's their national newspaper. Didn't you know I
subscribed to The Budget? The sports page sucks
but the classifieds are interesting. I found an
ad looking for a renter of a double house." He
jumped up from the sofa to pace in front of the
coffee table.
A double house?" She couldn't help herself from
repeating the foreign things she was saying, and
it was irritating even her.
"Scully, didn't you do your homework? That's two
houses built side by side that share a common
washing room."
"The purpose being....?"
"I'm glad you asked that. The elderly parents
live in one side of the house while the married
son or daughter live in the other side with
their children. I'm sure it's a lot cheaper than
nursing home care."
"And a whole lot better for the parents. So just
what was this sob story that got us this warm
invitation?"
"I told them we lost our shop to an unscrupulous
land developer and you nearly had a nervous
breakdown over it."
"Mulder, a nervous breakdown? Why do I let you
come up with our cover? I never learn." She
dropped her head in her hands.
"Yeah, well, all you have to do is twitch once in
a while, and we're gold." He stopped his pacing,
and sat on the coffee table in front of her,
pulling her hands away from her face and rubbing
her arms.
"I'll twitch all right, G-man, but you're not
going to like what I twitch."
"Anyway, we leave for Harrisburg tomorrow. So you
want to come into the bedroom where we can
practice playing house?"
"Lead the way, G-man. I'm in the mood for some
twitching." --
Monday morning, August 5 Flight 625
They sat on the plane going over the case during
their flight, files open before them. They were
studying not only the route of Agent Warren, but
giving their Amish hosts a final perusal as well.
"Mulder, did you forget to shave?"
"No Scully. Once an Amish man marries he must
stop shaving."
"That's right, and I have to wear a white
bonnet."
"Ahhh you have been doing your homework."
Mulder's brow furrowed. "Hmm, one problem,
though..."
"What?"
He gathered the strands of her hair resting on
her collar, "Amish women don't cut their hair,
and yours is too short. Can you pull it up or
something so it looks longer?"
"This is all the hair I have!" Scully sighed,
"Okay I'll see what I can do. I have been reading
about the Amish lifestyle and it's fascinating,
but for us to carry this off we will need
aliases'. I don't think Fox Mulder and Dana
Scully will fit in."
"Mulder."
"What?"
"Dana Mulder, we're married now." He waggled his
eyebrows at her.
"Well just the same I think we need to pick
Biblical first names." She had spent so many
years deflecting his innuendo, it was second
nature to keep the conversation on track.
"Alright, just call me Jesus."
"Not that Biblical, Mulder!"
"How about Sampson and Delilah?"
"Mulder, have you ever even read the Bible?" She
looked at him skeptically.
"Just the good parts."
"What did you tell Mr. Beechy your name was?"
"Just Mr. Mulder. The Falls taught me an
important lesson; thou shalt not name thy
undercover selves without thine partner's two
cents."
"Smart move. Mulder does sound like it might be
an Amish name. I've got it, Noah."
"And you can be Patsy." He announced, with a smug
satisfaction in his voice.
"Would you please point out where one can find
the name 'Patsy' in the bible?" Scully folded her
arms across her chest, narrowing her gaze at him.
"Well, I think you look like a Patsy."
"I can be Hannah, I always liked that name. "
"I could get use to calling you that."
"Hannah?"
"No. Mrs. Mulder." She had to admit the man
brought out the soft touch in her. She blushed
slightly at his adoring gaze and looked back down
at the book she has been reading on the Amish.
"Mulder, how much of this book have you read?"
"I don't know. Why?"
"It says here the men never wear pants with
zippers."
"Scully, won't that be a little drafty?" He
looked concerned.
"No big boy, they use snaps, buttons, or hook and
eyes."
"That hook and eye thing sounds painful." His
look was shifting from concerned to low level
panic.
"I guess that's the sacrifice you make to be an
Amish."
-- La Quinta Inn Harrisburg PA
Mulder hung up the phone after calling a cab to
take them on their shopping excursion. "Ok, are
you ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." They walked
to the curb, Mulder's hand on the small of her
back to guide her into the cab.
Mulder had requested a driver with good knowledge
of the Amish shops in the area and he wasn't
disappointed. The cabbie bypassed the tourist
shops, where the parking lots were packed with
out of state plates on vacationing mini vans.
Instead he drove to the edge of town, where
traffic and buildings were thinner. Here he
directed the Agents to an authentic Amish shop.
Mulder paid the driver, actually tipping this
time, and they walked over to the wooden front porch
of the shop. Mulder sat on a bench, Scully
joining him with a quizzical look on her face.
"Research continues. By observing the locals,
maybe we can get a better idea of what we need.
"Good idea." She sat next to him, lacing her
fingers through his and together they simply
watched the customers come and go for almost half
an hour. They drew a few strange looks, being the
only 'English' people in the vicinity, but all in
all they were left alone.
Deciding that they had a handle on the needed
attire, they entered the shop. Mulder pointed
toward the 'men's' side, with small implements,
sacks of seed and grain and small racks of work
clothes. Scully, with an eyebrow implanted firmly
at her hairline, headed for the feminine section
of the store. 'Her' side was laden with bolts of
cloth, racks of thread both for sewing and
knitting and kitchen staples. Near the back sat a
small rack of somber dresses, and one shelf of
bonnets, undergarments and aprons.
Mulder rummaged through the sparse offerings and
made his way to the register with four pairs of
zipperless cotton trousers along with half a
dozen plain cotton work shirts, undershirts, and
briefs. He picked out a heavy pair of work boots
and cotton socks to go with them. For the sake of
decency he bought a bathrobe and pajamas. Next
came a work coat and two pairs of suspenders and
last but not least a straw hat to top it all off.
He sat again on the bench just outside, waiting
for Scully. Finally she emerged from the store,
her arms loaded down with packages.
"Sorry that took so long, but they didn't have
much to choose from and finding something that
fit was difficult. Did you know Amish women
make all their own clothing, except for under
clothes."
"It's good you aren't Amish Scully, because you
would be the first nudist in the congregation."
"You don't think I could make my own clothing? I
can sew."
"Scully sewing up a 'Y' incision and occasionally
your partner is not my idea of fine stitching."
Tuesday Morning, August 6
The bus was due to leave Harrisburg at 9:00 a.m.
They still paid for two rooms when they traveled,
but seldom used more than one. Mulder was up and
showering when Scully awoke, so she made use of
the shower in the connecting room. The night
before they packed all the new clothing they had
bought into the empty suitcases, save for what
they needed to wear on the trip.
Scully finished her shower and began to dress.
The transformation she saw in the mirror stunned
her. She shook her head as she turned this way
and that, examining her new look. She couldn't
wait to see what Mulder looked like.
She grabbed her pajamas and headed back to the
room they slept in, nearly running over Mulder
who was coming through the door. They both jumped
back with a start.
He stood before Scully, beautifully tall and
shortly bearded. His blue cotton shirt stretched
across his shoulders, the suspenders running the
outline of his pectoral muscles. The simple dark
blue trousers hugged his lean thighs just enough
to hint at their shape. His smile was brilliant,
causing his eyes to sparkle down at her. The new
growth of beard strangely did not make him appear
unkempt. He just looked mysterious, possibly
dangerous, and definitely sexy.
Mulder couldn't help but smile down at the tiny
woman before him. Her homespun lavender cotton
dress tied in back and fell just below her knees.
The sleeves came down to the fine bones in her
wrists. The simple garment actually did more for
her figure than the dark two piece suits she
wore to work. She wore no makeup allowing the
freckles across her nose to stand out against the
pale skin on her face. Her hair was pulled back
and pinned up, accenting the shape of her
cheekbones. She wore flat black leather shoes
that caused Mulder to tower over her even more
than usual. She stunned him with her beautiful
simplicity.
"Mulder, you look like you belong on a farm."
Scully grinned up at him.
"And you look like you belong on my arm." Mulder
replied as he offered her his arm and walked her
back into their room.
They finished gathering their things and packing
in silence, each cast surreptitious glances at
the other, both pleased with what they saw. When
their packing was completed, Mulder put his straw
hat on and pushed it down on his head. Scully
took out the starched bonnet from the hatbox and
sat it carefully on her head. She then took a
small box of straight pins out of her purse.
"Eww ouch, Scully what are you doing with those?"
"The clerk showed me how to hold the bonnet on
with these."
"You're not pinning that to your head are you?"
"Of course I am." Scully then turned to the
mirror and began to weave the pin into the bonnet
edge, gathering up a few strands of hair and
pushing the pin back out the bonnet. She did this
three more times and turned to smile at Mulder.
Satisfied she hadn't drawn blood in the pinning
process, he kissed her lightly on the nose and
gathered up the suitcases while Scully carried
the hatbox and the suitcase containing the laptop
and case files. They trudged down to the bus
stop.
The bus bound for Shipshewana was half full and
most of them were Amish. Mulder watched them
carefully, studying their mannerisms and
movements. Then he realized something, "Scully
lean forward a little."
"What for Mulder?"
Mulder deftly unhooked the tiny cross from around
Scully's neck and placed it in her palm. Scully
closed her hand around it and looked at him
questioningly.
Mulder leaned over. "They never wear jewelry."
Scully immediately placed the small cross in her
purse.
8pm
Ten excruciating hours later the bus pulled into
the parking lot of Yoder's department store in
Shipshewana. Mulder stood up and stretched,
unkinking his long frame, and listening to his
back and knees pop. He leaned over and ran his
knuckles over Scully's cheek. She had fallen
asleep hours ago. Her eyes fluttered open as she
gathered her bearings.
"Come on, Hannah, we're here." Scully took a deep
breath, and reached up to straighten her bonnet.
"Sure, Noah." Mulder grinned as he helped her out
of her seat. They were the last ones off the
bus. --
Mulder gathered their suitcases, while Scully
looked around the nearly empty parking lot. Off
to the left stood an Amish man tending to his
horses. He glanced over to Scully as he tied the
horses to the hitching post and noticing her
clothing, he approached Scully cautiously. She
saw he was little taller than herself, and solidly
built.
The man tipped his hat and asked, "Excuse me,
ma'am, would you be Mrs. Mulder?"
"Yes, yes, I am." Mulder came to stand at her
side, setting the suitcases down. "This is my
husband, Noah."
The shorter man thrust out his hand. "I'm Matthew
Beechy"
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Beechy, and thank you for
meeting us. It's been a long trip, and we
appreciate the ride out to the farm."
"My pleasure, why don't you two follow me."
Matthew picked up Scully's hatbox and the small
case she had been carrying and led them to the
two-seater black buggy. The bags were tossed
behind the second seat and Matthew climbed in the
front. Mulder helped Scully into the second seat
and climbed in after her.
"Get up Pat, Star." Matthew Beechy gave the reins
a snap, sending the buggy lurching forward. The
horses soon fell into step next to one another as
the buggy made its way down State Road 5. Cars,
motorcycles, and even an occasional semi-tractor
trailer whizzed by at a dizzying rate, but the
horses never strayed from the path they were
relegated to along the narrow highway. Mulder
noticed Scully's white knuckled grip on the side
of the buggy, and took her hands into his. She
sighed and leaned against him, doing her best to
ignore the heat.
Mulder leaned forward and spoke to Matthew. "Have
you lived here long, Mr. Beechy?"
"All 45 years of my life, and they call me
Matthew or just Beechy."
Scully smiled to herself, not another one.
"You like living here, Beechy?"
"Good soil and plenty of fresh water, no reason
not to live here."
"What do you grow?"
"I farm seven acres of wheat and five acres of
beans, and I have 10 milk cows. It's time to
begin bringing in the wheat. I can use your
help."
The rest of the ride was spent in silence. They
passed softly rolling hills dotted with white
homes and large barns. Occasionally they passed
another buggy and a hand would appear from it and
wave at Beechy with him acknowledging it.
The buggy leaned to the right, pulling into what
Mulder guessed was a long lane. The lack of an
internal combustion engine and electrical system
operated by a battery meant no headlights to
pierce the darkness for him. Scully smiled and
pointed down into the dark, in the direction of
a yapping sound that could only be the family dog
out to greet them.
The hot and sticky ride lasted nearly 50 minutes,
with Mulder calculating they had traveled about 7
miles. He was sure all Scully wanted to do was
take a shower but he doubted that would be
possible.
Beechy called a halt to his tired horses' efforts
in front of a two-story house that had lamps
burning in several of the windows. A side door
flew open, and out bounded two dark figures, the
lead holding a small lamp. As they neared, Mulder
could tell they were teenage boys and each took
one of the horses by the headstall and held them
as the adults alighted from the buggy. A
practiced team, they led the horses toward the
barn, tossing a greeting over their shoulders for
their father, and smiling openly at the
newcomers. As the traveling companions stretched,
a teenage girl stepped down from the porch, also
carrying a lantern.
"Welcome home, Poppa." The young girl smiled
warmly. She let her smile slide to include Mulder
and Scully, then turned to light their way into
the house. Beechy and Mulder wrestled the cases
and followed Scully and the young woman up the
steps and inside.
The kitchen was large and very neat. On the left
side stood a large cream and green cook stove.
There were oak cupboards running along either
side of it. A sink with a hand pump stood next to
the back door. On the right was an ice box, the
kind that Mulder and Scully had only seen in old
movies. The kitchen was painted white and filled
with home canned produce. The only window in it
had no window dressing.
"Leah." Beechy called out to his wife as he
removed his hat. Into the kitchen waddled a very
pregnant woman wearing a pink cotton dress with a
white apron covering her large belly. Much to
Scully's delight, her bonnet covered a head of
red hair. The woman had a shy smile and Mr.
Beechy stepped forward and took her hand. The
room was soon filled with children.
"This is my wife, Leah, and our daughters,
Rebecca and Mary." He gestured to the two boys
just returning from the barn, "This is David and
Samuel." He then looked down and pulled a small
boy out from behind his wife's skirt. "And this
is Obadiah."
The child grinned sheepishly up at Scully and
said, "Momma, she's got hair just like yours!"
The whole room erupted into laughter causing the
boy to turn red.
His mother placed her arm around his shoulder.
"Yes, she does son."
Mulder spoke up, "My name is Noah Mulder, but
like Beechy here I'd rather just be called
Mulder." The kids all giggled. Mulder took
Scully by the hand and pulled her further into
the light of the lantern. His eyes glowed with
warmth as he looked down at the bonnet covered
head, "This is my wife, Hannah."
"Nice to meet you, Hannah," Leah said shyly. She
seemed both embarrassed and pleased by Mulder's
apparent fascination with his wife.
"Nice to meet you and your family." Scully warmly
smiled, but her exhaustion was causing her to
lean on Mulder's arm.
Leah spoke up, "Matthew these people are tired,
show them to their home." Beechy smiled and
gestured for them to follow him through the door
leading from the kitchen.
As they turned to follow, Scully realized for the
first time that not only would she and Mulder
actually be living as man and wife, she would be
responsible for his clothes and meals. Not to
mention keeping the house neat. A vision of
Mulder and his dirty sock tossing habits flashed
through her tired mind. Unlike the Falls, this
time their relationship had advanced to the point
of intimacy. Suddenly the dirty socks seemed
small in comparison to the greater perks. She
shook her head. She must be losing her mind.
Beechy led them out the small door, which opened
into a room that held a wringer washer and a
large kettle hanging over a wood fired stove. The
floor was cement and as clean as the kitchen.
Shared wash room, Scully remembered Mulder
telling her about that.
Beechy opened another door that led into an
almost exact copy of the kitchen they had just
left. Mulder was reminded of the house they had
spent Christmas Eve in with Maurice and Lyda.
He glanced at Scully, her quirked eyebrow telling
him she was thinking the same thing.
Beechy continued on with the tour, leading them
through the kitchen to the dining room and on
through the living room and into a small study.
He then backtracked to the dining room and began
to climb a small staircase. He pointed out the
bedrooms and then opened up a the bathroom door.
The bathroom was large, with a huge claw-footed
tub in the center, and a small sink on a
pedestal against the wall.
Demonstrating how to draw water up the pipes by
using a hand pump, Beechy explained that if the
reservoir on the wood stove was filled, a few
gallons of hot water could be obtained by
turning a tap. He then turned and pointed out the
tiny window to a dark spot in the yard. Somewhere
out there stood the outhouse. Flukemen danced
through Scully's mind. Sometimes, it was
difficult to find a situation where ghosts,
goblins and or monsters didn't flit through her
head.
They all returned to what was soon to be Scully's
kitchen. Mary had brought over two large pieces
of chocolate cake and an ice-cold pitcher of
milk. "Momma thought you might be hungry."
Mulder and Scully thanked her and bid the Beechy
contingent good night. He turned to Scully,
pulling her close and letting her rock into his
chest, supporting her weight. "Well, Mrs.
Mulder, you want to go to bed?"
Scully pulled out of his embrace and took a seat
at the table. "I don't know about you Mr. Mulder,
but I'm having a piece of cake."
Mulder joined Scully as they ate their cake and
drank their milk by the light of the lantern.
Scully spoke up first, "I'd like to stick close
to Leah tomorrow. Maybe I can get the hang of
this."
"Good idea. I'll try to follow Beechy. It can't
be that difficult to be a farmer." He said, as he
took a large gulp of milk.
"I don't know, Mulder. This is farming like they
did it one hundred years ago. You won't have
motorized equipment, and you'll be out in the
heat all day."
"Yes, Mother," he said with a smile.
"Just be careful, that's all I'm saying." She
took another bite of her cake.
"I want to nose around and see what I can find
out about the death of Agent Warren. It happened
in the pasture of an Amish farmer, surely they've
all discussed it, and maybe Beechy will have
some idea of what's behind it."
Scully pointed her fork at Mulder.
"I saw a pile of old newspapers in the wash room,
maybe they use them to start the fires. There
might be one with a story on the agent's death
in it. Maybe a local perspective from the press
would be helpful, too."
"Good idea, Scully." He finished off his cake.
"It's Hannah, and I'm going to take a bath no
matter how cold the water is. I have no idea how
they sleep on nights this hot." She had finished
her cake and started up the stairs.
"I guess you just get used to it. I'm going to
check out those papers." He called out to her as
he headed back out to the washroom.
Scully lit an oil lamp that hung from the ceiling
and pumped about four inches of water into the
huge tub. She gathered her bags and stripped off
her clothing and slid into the slowly warming
water. She leaned against the cold granite of the
tub and slowly poured handfuls of water over her
sweaty body. She closed her eyes, enjoying the
sensation when the door flew open. "Shit! Mulder
you scared me!"
"Scully, is that any way for an Amish woman to
talk? What are you doing?" He closed the door
behind him, his eyes darkening as he took in her
wet and naked form.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking a
bath."
"I can see that, is there room for two?"
Without waiting for an answer Mulder began
stripping off his clothes. Scully was amazed at
the energy this man could display at that hour of
the night and in the heat. Tossing aside his
socks Mulder nudged Scully forward and slid in
behind her. He leaned over and spoke into her
ear. "In my own defense, Scully, this water is
cold."
Scully laughed and laid her head back against his
chest. Mulder leaned up and kissed the back of
her neck. Her laugh deepened into that sexy
chuckle he loved to hear. "That beard tickles."
Mulder stopped his nibbling and leaned over the
edge of the tub to retrieve a newspaper he had
dropped there in his haste to get naked.
"You were right Scully, here's the newspaper
article on the death of Agent Warren." He held
the paper in one hand and reached around Scully
to thump it with the other.
"According to the paper, Warren was killed not
far from here. He had been last seen earlier in
the evening at a local place called Fern's Diner.
There were no witnesses to the accident and he
was found around 10:30 p.m. by a passing delivery
van driver. The driver said and I quote, 'he was
squashed like a bug under that cow'. The coroner
reported he died of massive internal injuries
consistent with being squashed like a bug."
"Charming. So was that his medical opinion?"
Scully looked up at Mulder questioningly.
"Well, as close as he could come. He's a butcher
by day and county coroner by night."
"He better keep his day job," Scully deadpanned.
"I think I'm going to take a look at the scene
tomorrow. Are you falling asleep on me? Because
if you are, I've got a major cramp going on
here."
"I knew it was too good to be true." Scully
sighed as she crawled out of the tub and began
to towel off. Mulder followed her.
In the master bedroom Scully pulled on a pair of
cotton panties and a long cream colored
nightgown. The heat was stifling and her hair
was kinking up in the heavy humidity. Mulder
pulled a pair of cotton briefs from the suitcase
and slipped into them. He sat on the edge of the
full size bed.
"Scully, why is it so hot!"
"Mulder, we're in the Midwest, in mid summer, in
an Amish house with NO electricity and you have
to ask me why it is so hot?"
"I'm sorry I asked," Mulder mumbled.
She pulled back the large handmade quilt and top
sheet that covered the bed and dropped onto the
bed on her back. Mulder soon followed. He moved
over to wrap his arms around her.
"Mulder, I love you more than my own life, but if
you touch me tonight, so help me I will shoot you
again."
Able to take a hint, Mulder never said a word but
crept back to his side of the bed.
Part II Wednesday, August 7
Neither agent slept much and both were up by 5
a.m. Scully had just dozed off when a rooster
crowing made her nearly jump out of the bed.
Mulder slipped on his trousers and tee shirt and
made his way to the outhouse. At least they
didn't have to share one with the Beechy family.
As he was heading out the outhouse door he passed
Scully going in. He knew better than to speak to
her in the morning before she'd had her first hit
of caffeine. She had her robe wrapped around
herself and a bad case of bed head going on but
he wasn't telling her that.
Mulder went back upstairs, dressed properly and
finished by brushing his teeth and combing his
hair. He checked out his furry face in the
mirror. One nice thing about being undercover as
an Amish was he didn't have to shave. One bad
thing was that at this length his beard caused
his face to itch like hell.
He wandered around the house trying to get a feel
for these simple people. It soon became evident
that all the books they had read were true. There
were no mirrors in the house and no photos or
pictures of people, only landscapes and animals.
The house reflected the modest lifestyle they had
chosen to live. Scully came in to find Mulder
scratching his bearded chin, the things he would
endured for an investigation. She went upstairs
and quickly dressed. Mulder met her on the steps
as she was coming down. "Scul... Hannah, Leah
wants to know if we would like to eat breakfast
with them?"
Scully quickly walked around him, "Mulder, any
meal I don't have to cook is a favorite of mine."
He chuckled at her as she headed for the
connecting wash room door.
They entered Leah's kitchen to find the table
surrounded by hungry children eager to eat.
Mulder thanked Leah and pulled out a chair for
Scully. Mr. Beechy led the group in a prayer and
the food was passed around. Mulder had whole-
wheat toast, hamburger gravy, orange juice, fresh
brewed tea and homemade cereal that resembled
Grapenuts. Scully had her coffee first and then
dug into the best breakfast she had ever eaten.
Leah spoke up. "Did you sleep well Hannah?"
She put down her cup of coffee and rubbed her
hands on her lap. "It was fine except for the
heat."
Leah and the children looked at her in silence.
Scully had the feeling she had just said
something wrong but she wasn't sure what.
Leah snapped. "Beechy didn't you tell these good
folks about the bedroom in the basement?"
"Bedroom." Mulder gulped.
"In the basement." Scully sighed.
"Sorry, Leah, it completely slipped my mind."
"Oh, my! You two must have had a terrible night
in all that heat! Hannah, after breakfast Mary
will show you the bedroom downstairs. We all
sleep in the basement in weather this hot."
"Really," Scully spoke up trying to save Mr.
Beechy's hide, "It was not that bad."
After the meal was over, Mulder followed Beechy
and the boys out to the porch. Scully called him
back in, he had forgotten his hat. He took it
from her and kissed her lightly on the cheek and
crossed the yard again to jump on the wagon with
the boys. Scully waved to him from the porch
as he set off on his first day of work.
--
Scully went back into the house feeling a little
lost. She wasn't sure what to do next.
Mary and Rebecca were both off to work at the
noodle shop. The extra money helped out the large
family. Mary would bring lunch to her father and
brothers and Mulder, saving Leah the hard work of
making a noon meal for the men.
Scully helped gather up the breakfast dishes and
was soon up to her elbows in homemade soapsuds.
Leah was drying and softly humming to herself.
Obadiah was lingering near by.
"Obadiah." His mother called out.
"Yeah, Momma?"
"Why don't you take Buster and go down to check
on the calves."
"Okay, Momma." Obadiah ran to the back door.
"Oh and son, don't go near the road."
"I promise I won't Momma."
Scully watched the small boy run out the back
door. "Who's Buster?"
"His dog, but you met him last night." Leah
smiled as she finished wiping a plate, using the
back of her sleeve to wipe a loose tendril of
hair out of her eyes.
Scully smiled and handed her another plate. "He's
a darling child."
Leah placed the last plate in the cupboard.
"Obadiah? Yes he is."
Scully let the water out of the sink. "Does he
play in the road?"
"Obadiah forgets how fast the motor cars travel.
He's come close to being hit twice. I never let
him get the mail unless I'm with him. He never
developed like the other children did. He seemed
well, slow. He didn't walk until he was almost
three." Leah laughed. "But when he finally did he
never stopped."
"Does he attend school?"
"No. We tried, but he just couldn't keep up and
it frustrated him so. Obadiah will always be my
baby." Leah said wistfully.
Scully nodded silently. She understood Leah's
concern for her child. Not for the first time did
she wonder at the strength of women, who were
faced with adversities in those they loved most,
and yet made the best of it. "Does he like to
watch the cows?"
"He loves animals, but he's simply crazy about
our milk cows. I think he's most satisfied around
them. They pass no judgement on him and they like
to see him coming, he's so gentle with them,"
Leah replied as she placed another plate in the
cupboard.
"All done," Scully smiled.
"Good. I need a break." Leah arched her back,
supporting the weight of her belly with her
hands. She made slow circles with her well worn
hands, in an age old rhythm of comfort and
satisfaction known to pregnant women. Turning to
the table, she looked up at Scully, "Your
husband, he's a bit thin."
"Mulder?" Scully said as she walked over to the
table and pushed in the chair Obadiah had been
sitting in.
"Yes, but he seemed to have such an appetite at
breakfast. I wish Matthew could keep the weight
off like your Noah."
Scully looked a little pensive. She had to tell
her sometime, it just might as well be now. She
pulled out a chair and sat down across from Leah
at the kitchen table. She ran her tongue over
her bottom lip. "Leah, I, I have a confession to
make."
Leah looked up at Scully. "What is it, Hannah?"
Leah studied Scully for a long moment, sizing her
up, perhaps, or wondering if her head was going
to start spinning around, thanks to Mulder's
mental breakdown story.
Scully held her breath for a moment and then
blurted out, "I can't cook! I mean I can, but not
like you."
The gentlewoman then smiled, "Is that all!
Cooking can be learned. My mother was a great
cook and she taught me. I can teach you. We'll
put some meat on your husband's bones."
Scully grinned back at Leah. "Thank you, I am
very grateful. In return I want you to let me
lift the heavy things around here. You're
certainly not in the shape to be doing it."
Leah took a moment to think. "There are no canned
goods or provisions in your house. Tell you what,
until you can get on your feet, you can help me
out here and we'll cook together."
"That's a deal!" Scully smiled.
The rest of the morning flew by for Scully. It
was bread baking day, and while Leah mixed up the
dough, Scully kneaded it into loaves. Bread was
made twice a week and with such a large family,
it took many loaves to last.
It was nearly noon when Obadiah ran into the
kitchen. "Momma, I'm hungry."
Leah laughed and wiped the sweat from her head.
"Of course you are. You're always hungry. Go wash
up and I'll get lunch."
Obadiah went to the sink and pumped out the cool
water. He soaped up his hands and face and
scrubbed; making a joyful mess the way only a
child could.
Scully watched the little boy with interest.
"Good boy. Now, go sit down."
Obadiah pulled out a heavy wooden chair.
"What sounds good, son?" His mother asked.
"Gill cheese!" The little boy chimed.
Scully and Leah both laughed. "He does love his
grilled cheese."
Scully watched as Leah pulled out a loaf of
cheese.
"Here let me do that," Scully said.
Leah handed the knife to Scully and she began to
slice off thin slices of cheese.
Leah lit the propane stove with a match and
placed a heavy skillet on the burner. She then
buttered two slices of homemade bread and put two
slices of cheese between them butter side out.
She placed the sandwich on the hot skillet.
"Hannah can you get me two tomatoes from the
basement. We'll have sliced tomatoes for lunch."
Scully went down the steps and was met with a
cornucopia of home canned vegetables and fruits.
Barrels held potatoes, squash and yams. She found
what she was looking for and came up out of the
basement, sparing a glance behind her. Basements
were but one more thing that gave her the creeps
at times. She washed and sliced the tomatoes,
while Leah poured the cold milk.
"Umm, good!" Obadiah said.
Scully decided she liked the little boy with the
soft eyes. Those eyes told her he had a gentle
soul; in their depths she recognized the same
warm glow she had become familiar with in
Mulder's. She watched him beneath her lashes
until lunch was concluded. As soon as the last
crumb was gone from his plate, Obadiah ran back
outside.
Scully rose to collect the dishes and spared a
glance toward Leah. She was tired and drained
from the heat, the work, and the baby she was
carrying.
"Leah, why don't you go rest? I can clean up.
That I do know how to do."
Leah laughed and patted her stomach. "I think I
just might do that."
"I'll look after Obadiah for you."
"Thanks," Leah said as she left the kitchen to go
downstairs.
Scully did what little dishes they had used and
cleaned off the table and the old stove. She then
went outside to check on Obadiah and to get out
of the heat of the kitchen.
The boy was sitting on a wooden plank swing tied
high in a maple tree. Scully stepped off the
small porch and walked toward him, matching his
smile with one of her own when he spotted her
coming.
"You want me to push you Obadiah?" She asked.
"Yes, please. Momma used to do it, but she can't
no more."
Scully pushed the boy in the swing. He kicked out
his tiny legs. "Your momma says that you like the
cows?"
"Yep, I do." He answered.
"Do you know how to spell cow, Obadiah?" Scully
asked as she pushed the swing.
"No," the little boy replied. "Can you tell me
how?"
Scully stopped the swing and bent down next to
him. "C-o-w. Cow. Can you say that?" She said it
again. "C-o-w."
Obadiah slowly said, "C-o-w."
"That's right!" Scully laughed and stood up to
push him again.
"C-o-w, c-o-w, c-o-w." He repeated over and over
as he swung higher.
"Obadiah, you think you can remember that and
surprise your momma at supper?"
"I sure can Hannah. C-o-w. I like cows,
'specially when they float like Poppa's boat on
the lake."
With a start, Scully suddenly realized that he
might have been witness to the cow that killed
Agent Warren. She stopped the swing and took
Obadiah by the hand, "Want to go for a walk?"
"Sure. Hannah, you got pretty hair. Just like my
momma's."
"Obadiah, you said you liked it when the cows
float. Can you show me the cows that do that?"
The boy stopped walking and looked down at his
bare feet, pulling on his bottom lip. "I can't do
that."
Scully was confused. "You can't tell me or you
can't do that anymore?"
The boy ran down the cow path. "I'm gonna go see
the cows, come on Buster." The boy took off down
the path with his dog barking at his side.
Scully went back into Leah's kitchen and crossed
through the wash house into her own side. She
glanced out the window to see Obadiah playing
with the calves. She climbed the stairs and went
to the master bedroom. She hung up Mulder's
clothes and took off her bonnet, letting down
her hair. She went to the bathroom and filled
the sink with cold water. As she washed her face
she wondered how Mulder was faring.
Scully dried her face and pulled back her hair.
Looking out the upstairs window, she could easily
see Obadiah still playing in the field. She
secured the starched bonnet once more to her head
and straightened her dress and went down stairs.
Deciding she couldn't put off that trip to the
outhouse any longer, she headed out the back
door.
As she crossed the yard, Scully would have only
had to turn her head to the right to see a cow
slowly float past her bedroom window and land
back in the field.
Leah had gotten up and was lighting the stove
when Scully returned to the house. She quickly
washed her hands and helped Leah pour water into
the reservoir on the top of the stove.
Leah wiped her hands on her apron as she said,
"There's a haystack supper tomorrow night at the
school. I thought I'd get my pies done early.
There won't be much time tomorrow; it's wash
day."
Scully took the large bucket back to the wash
house. "A haystack supper?" She asked as she shut
the door.
"Don't you have those back in your part of the
country?"
Scully just smiled and closed the top to the
reservoir.
"It's a fun way to raise money 'round here. This
time it's for a new roof for the school."
Leah sat her large mixing bowls on the table.
"Can you get the measuring cups and mixing spoons
out Hannah?" Leah asked. "The women all get
together and make supper, but it's stacked in
large bowls. Usually mashed potatoes go in first,
and then noodles and roast beef or pork on top
of that, finally corn or beans are added, and a
slice a bread tops it off." She laughed. "I
guess it kind of looks like a hay stack."
"Sounds like fun." Scully said as she busied
herself in the kitchen.
"Oh it is." Leah said as she looked around the
table. "Can you get me the eggs and some cream?
But I'm in no shape to help this year, so I'm
making some pies for the auction."
Scully got the eggs and cream out of the icebox.
"So what kind of pies are we making?"
Leah looked at Scully with a grin. "WE are making
a cherry pie, a rhubarb custard, and a German
chocolate." Leah sat down and wiped her face with
her apron. "What kind of pie does your husband
like?"
Scully thought for a moment. "Sweet potato," she
said.
Leah laughed. "He's in luck. I canned sweet
potatoes last fall and there should still be a
quart or two in the basement."
"Hannah, can you go downstairs and bring me up a
jar of rhubarb, a jar of cherries, two cups of
pecans, and a jar of sweet potatoes? You'll find
the nuts in a small wooden barrel. We'll have
these pies done in no time."
Scully did as she was asked and soon they were
measuring and mixing and beating the ingredients
together. She watched Leah as she cut a piece of
lard into a small pile of flour she had poured
on the table. Leah added some ice water a few
drops at a time until she had a beautiful ball
of piecrust dough.
Suddenly the door was thrown open and in ran
Obadiah holding his hand. He had pinched his
fingers in the gate latch. Leah kissed his
forehead and took him upstairs to mend his
fingers.
Scully looked down at the smooth ball of crust on
the table. She was sure she could make her own
crust now that she had seen a pro do it. She
placed a small pile of flour on the table and
cut a little lard into it. She added the water
just like Leah had and rolled the mixture into a
ball, but the ball was sticking to the table so
she added more flour. This made the dough too
stiff so she added more water. Finally the dough
began to some what resemble the dough Leah had
made. Scully was feeling pretty proud of herself.
Just then Leah came back downstairs.
"Is he okay?" Scully asked as she pushed back her
hair with the back of her hand smudging her face
with flour in the process.
"He'll be fine. He does that all the time. I kiss
it, get him a cold wash cloth to put on it and he
lays down for a nap."
Leah looked over at Scully's little ball of
dough. "I see you have made your crust."
"I hope so." Scully says, not entirely convinced.
Soon the pie shells were all filled and
baking in the oven.
Leah stiffly stretched her aching back and sat
down at the table as Scully cleaned up the mess
they had made. "Where did you meet Noah?"
Scully broke out in a sweat and this time it
wasn't from the heat.
Leah went on. "I met Matthew at a church picnic.
I can still remember it like it was yesterday.
Church was held at Jacob Mishler's Farm.
Everyone was there. Some members of the
congregation in Middlebury came over to join in
the prayer service. Matthew was among them. He
was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes
on." Leah blushed.
Scully was furiously scrubbing the kitchen table.
She knew she would have to come up with
something. "Noah ran a small store back home. He
needed help and I applied for the job. That was
nine years ago."
"So how long you been married?"
Scully rinsed out the dishcloth. "About two
years."
Leah laughed. "You two certainly took your time."
"Tell me about it." Scully muttered. She
desperately wanted to change the topic. "Those
pies smell great."
"We'll have the cherry one for supper. How does
rib-eye steak, cheese potatoes, lima beans and
fried green tomatoes sound for supper."
"Sounds great!"
"Good, because you'll have to help. I'm just too
worn out in this heat."
Scully began to worry about the other woman. She
went to the sink and filled a large glass with
water and wet a dishcloth. She sat the glass
before Leah and handed her the cloth. "Here. You
look like you could use this."
Leah smiled up at Scully. "I guess the good Lord
sent me my own guardian angel."
Scully pinked with pleasure, or heat, or
deception. This was the part of the job that she
found distasteful. She had to make people trust
her, then pull out the gun and handcuffs and
start arresting those trusting souls.
Leah wiped her face with the cool cloth. "Can you
take the pies out of the oven?"
"Of course," Scully replied and grabbed the oven
mitts.
Soon the room was filled with the smell of
cooling pies and boiling vegetables. Scully was
peeling potatoes while Leah was preparing the
steaks. Scully looked up at Leah. "When is the
baby due?"
"Doc told me it would be six more weeks but that
was two weeks ago. Matthew has already made
arrangements at the new birthing center down the
road. They think I'm too old so I have to be
there a few days before my due date."
"That's probably best." Scully agreed.
Leah finished putting the steaks on the broiler
pan. "You and Noah want children?"
Scully shifted in her chair and looked down at
her hands. "We would love to have children, but I
am unable."
Leah stopped what she was doing and looked at
Scully, softly saying, "Oh, I am sorry to hear
that."
Scully's blue eyes shimmered, but she hid it from
Leah. Most of the time, their relationship and
their professional life lives allowed her little
time to miss having children. Times like these,
however, faced with a chance to be near a mother
so close to her time again, made her heart hurt.
Soon supper was done and awaiting the men's
return. Mary and Rebecca had been back for about
an hour and they helped set the table. Scully
went to her own home to clean up. She couldn't
wait to see Mulder. It had been a long day with
out him. Just then she heard Buster barking and
the sound of horses hooves on the gravel drive.
She looked out the upstairs window to see the
team pulling up in front of the house. Out of the
back of the wagon jumped David and Samuel. Mr.
Beechy climbed down from the left side and an
obviously sore Mulder slowly climbed down from
the right.
Scully ran down the stairs and out the wash house
door toward the wagon. Mulder looked up at her
with that grin of his and held out his arms. She
gladly fell into them. His shirt was covered in
sweat but she didn't care, he was home. He took
off his hat and wiped his face on his rolled up
sleeve. He then dropped his arm and wrapped it
around Scully and squeezed her. "Anyone miss me?"
he teased.
"You'll never know just how much." Scully grinned
up at him.
He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Maybe
later, I'll let you show me."
Beechy and the boys went over to a pump that
stood near the barn and washed up. As much as
Mulder hated to, he let go of Scully to join
them.
Scully could tell by the way that he walked he was
tired and sore, but she would take care of that
later.
A prayer was said and supper was served. Everyone
dug in. Obadiah looked over at Scully and she
nodded her head to him. He grinned and spoke up,
"Momma, hey, Momma!" He wasn't being heard above
the din at the table. Finally Scully said,
"Leah," and glanced down to Obadiah.
Leah put down her fork and turned to her son.
"What is it?" The table grew quiet and Obadiah
began to freeze.
Scully smiled at him and said softly, "Go on."
Obadiah spoke up. "Momma, I can spell cows."
Everyone looked at him as he began. "C-O-W,
cows!"
The entire gathering laughed and clapped. The
small boy turned red.
Leah grabbed her son. "Who taught you that!"
"She did!" He said as he pointed to Scully.
Scully blushed and looked at him. "You said you
could remember it and you did."
"Yes I did! C-O-W, cows."
Scully caught Mulder staring at her. A smile
crossed his face, and then he winked at her.
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence on
Mulder's part. Scully knew something was
bothering him, and right after the dishes were
done she was going to find out just what it was.
Scully found Mulder standing under a tree,
leaning against a fence post. She slowly
approached him. "Hey," she softly said as
she ran her hand across his back. She'd been with
this man long enough to know when something was
wrong; Mulder was feeling sorry for himself.
She leaned against the post and faced him. Her
arms were crossed over her chest. She glanced
around to make sure no one was within earshot.
"Okay Mulder, what gives?"
Mulder didn't say anything.
Scully lowered her head and raised her eyes.
"Mulder?"
"I can't farm, Scully." He said quietly, with
such despondency in his voice Scully had
difficulty hiding the smile that teased at the
corner of her mouth.
"What?"
"I can't farm," he repeated.
"Well, Mulder, most city people can't, without
some instruction."
"No, Scully, they won't let me farm!"
Scully frowned and circled him, ducking under his
arm that rested against the post, leaving her
hands on his warm chest. "Mulder."
"I pulled fucking weeds all day." He continued to
stare out over her head at the vast farmlands.
"Why? Why did you pull weeds?" He was confusing
her with his cryptic weed comments.
"Well for starters, the horses got away from me.
Then I couldn't stack the damn wheat into those
little piles. That's a lot harder than it looks!"
His head of steam was growing she could see it.
"I'm sure it is, but why did you pull weeds."
Mulder leaned down and looked into her eyes and
snapped, "I guess Beechy got tired of chasing
down the horses!"
"It's a good thing I told Leah you were a
shopkeeper." Scully mumbled as she turned to
stand next to him.
"What?" Mulder looked down at her.
"Never mind." She knew she had to pull him out of
his funk or the whole evening would be shot. "So
where did you pull these hated weeds?"
"In the bean field. I'm telling you, there is not
a weed left in that entire five acres. I even
scared off the baby weeds."
"Even the baby weeds, huh. If you ask me, it
takes a real man to completely eradicate weeds
from a five acre plot. It takes precision,
attention to detail, persistence...."
He cut her off, "Ok, ok, I get the point." She
grinned up at him, knowing the crisis had passed.
Mulder chuckled as he drew her close to him. "And
what did you do today?"
"Not much." She didn't have the heart to tell her
big strong man with the bruised ego how much she
had learned from Leah and the fun they'd had. "I
did bake a pie for the auction tomorrow night."
Mulder rubbed his nose against hers and grinned.
"You're turning into a regular Betty Crocker,
aren't you."
Scully remembered her talk with Obadiah. "Mulder
I spent some time with Obadiah."
"I see that." Mulder smiled and pulled her even
closer.
"No, besides that. I think he has some connection
or knows something about your flying cows."
"Seriously?"
"He told me he liked to 'see them float like
Poppa's boat on the lake'."
"It does sound like the kid might know something.
You seem to have established a rapport with him,
you work on that end, and I'm going over to the
crime scene."
Mulder looked up to see a horse and cart pulling
up the lane. Beechy came out to greet the man
behind the reins.
"Mulder." Beechy called out and motioned for
Mulder to join him.
"Oh, what now?" he groaned as he released Scully.
"Maybe the word got out about your prowess with
weeds."
"Keep it up, Scully, and you'll be bathing alone
tonight."
The couple walked over to the cart. "Mulder, this
is LeRoy Bontrager. He has a cart you can use
until you get yourself a rig."
LeRoy was a short man with a large nose and a
huge grin. "Mr. Mulder," LeRoy said as he
extended his hand.
"Mr. Bontrager." Mulder returned the handshake.
"This is awfully nice of you."
"No trouble, Mr. Mulder. You can help me out
someday."
"Yeah, he might have weeds to pull." Scully said
under her breath.
Mulder elbowed her, "Shush, woman." The murderous
gleam in his partner's eye didn't escape his
notice. Luckily, however, it flew past the two
men he was speaking with.
LeRoy unhitched his horse and crawled onto its
back. With a wave of his hand he headed down the
lane.
Beechy called out to his son mucking stalls in
the barn. "David, bring up Judy."
He turned to Mulder and Scully. "Judy is a gentle
horse. She's got some age on her, so we don't use
her much."
David came out with a chestnut brown horse with a
dark mane and tail. She looked like every other
horse they had seen in the last two days.
Judy was soon harnessed to the cart. Mulder took
Scully by the hand, "Come on, Hannah."
Scully spotted Obadiah playing in the dirt with a
toy horse. "Hang on a minute Mulder." She went
over to the child and bent down. Soon she was
returning with Obadiah in tow.
Scully looked over to Mr. Beechy. "If it's okay
with you Beechy, I'd like to take him with
us."
Beechy walked over and bent down to pick the boy
up. He smiled at him as he sat him in the cart.
"Now you don't give these people any trouble,
son."
"I won't, Poppa."
Beechy helped Scully into the cart, slapped Judy
on the rear and off they went. Mulder was at the
reins while Scully was not convinced this was such
a good idea. Her nervous look made him smile.
"Nine plus years together, Hannah, how many times
have I been in an accident?"
He paused. "Never. Well, not driving, anyway."
Her mouth opened.
"And accidents caused by ghosts, conspirators, or
other bad drivers don't count," he countered
before she could voice her opinion.
"Why the hell not?"
"Hannah! You kiss your mother with that mouth?"
He glanced down at Obadiah who was excitedly
watching the scenery go by at a steady snail's pace.
He paid no attention to anything the adults were
saying. --
The sun was setting and everything took on a
golden glow. They reached the end of the lane
that led to the Beechy farm and Scully spoke
up. "Okay, Noah, which way now?"
"According to the paper, it happened not too far
from Fern's Diner." Mulder said, aware of the
child sitting beside him.
Obadiah chimed in. "Fern's, that's where Becky
and Mary works."
Scully looked down at him. "Do you know where
Fern's is Obadiah?"
"That way." The boy pointed to the right.
"Then right it is." Mulder grinned and snapped
the reins.
The cart stayed on the buggy path at the edge of
the highway. Luckily the traffic was light, which
helped Scully become more comfortable with Mulder
at the reins. They had gone about three-quarters
of a mile when Obadiah yelled, "There it is!" He
pointed to a gray, low slung building just ahead.
"According to the report, we turn left at the
next crossroads and go another quarter mile.
Obadiah was suddenly excited. He pointed across
the highway. "Look! Cows, c-o-w, cows."
Scully smiled down at him and draped her arm
around his shoulder.
"Look." Mulder pointed to the right. "That cow's
out of the pen."
Obadiah turned in his seat to watch the dairy cow
grazing along the highway.
"Mulder, you think we should turn around and put
it back?
"Not now. I want to get to the scene while it's
still light."
Mulder looked down at the tight expression on
Obadiah's face and said softly to the little boy,
"When we come back, we'll put her in the pen.
Okay?"
Obadiah just nodded his head.
"Mulder, here's the corner."
Mulder managed to get the little cart across the
highway and around the corner without getting
anyone killed.
"There's the tape." He pointed down the road and
to the left. He pulled the cart over to the edge
of the road and tied the horse to a fence post.
"I'm not chasing any more horses," he muttered to
himself. He lifted Obadiah down and then helped
Scully. She took Obadiah by the hand and they
walked to the path that led into the field.
Mulder unlatched the gate and led the little
group to the crime scene.
In the dimming light there wasn't much to see.
Mulder lifted the tape and bent down to touch the
loose soil. Scully released Obadiah's hand and
bent down so she too could check out the scene.
"There isn't much to go on, Mulder. Hoof prints,
a depression, and it looks like dried blood."
Mulder was crouched down chewing on his thumbnail
when he heard Scully shout, "Obadiah!" The boy
was headed toward the highway. Scully grabbed
Mulder by the shoulder, "Mulder! The highway!
He'll get hit!"
Mulder leapt to his feet and took off running
toward the child. Scully followed as quickly as
she could, but with the long skirt she wore she
had no prayer of keeping up with him. They both
shouted Obadiah's name, as Scully watched
Mulder's back pulling farther away from her.
Obadiah seemed not to hear the adults calling his
name, nor see the large semi-truck coming down
the highway. He had a single purpose in mind,
focused only on his appointed mission of saving
that cow.
Mulder was gaining on him, his long legs flying
when out of the corner of his eye he spotted the
truck approaching. In an instant he knew the
reflection from the sun on the window would make
it hard for the driver to see the boy before it
was too late.
Obadiah was nearing the fence. How much of a head
start did he have on them anyway? Mulder shook
his head, children and crime scenes obviously
didn't mix. He and Scully were so involved, they
had let the boy simply run off.
Mulder looked past the boy and saw the cow that
had strayed onto the highway. His lungs were
burning, but he knew Obadiah wouldn't let the
cow come to harm, and he had to get to the
boy. All that stood between Obadiah and the truck
was a thin wire fence.
Mulder knew Obadiah's plan was to get to the cow,
to shoo it off of the road, but there was no way
the boy could do that without getting killed.
The boy hit the fence and began to climb. The
roar of the truck reverberated through Mulder's
head. He wasn't going to make it, he wasn't
going to make it, no matter how fast he went,
he wasn't going to stop the death of this small
boy left in his care. He could vaguely hear
Scully's voice cracking as she pleaded with the
child to not climb the fence.
Obadiah had his feet on the first cross wire of
the fence and came to a dead halt. The cow that
stood on the highway slowly rose up. The semi
cleared the hooves by only inches. The cow moo'ed
nervously as it gently fell back onto the
highway.
Mulder nearly ran through the fence before he
could stop. He was so winded he had to bend over
to catch his breath. Scully charged into him,
nearly knocking him over.
"Hannah, see the cow. C-o-w."
Obadiah was oblivious to what had just happened,
but the cow wasn't. She took off for the open
gate and didn't stop running.
Mulder was still panting. "Scully, did you see
that!"
Scully gulped in heavy breaths. "I think I did."
"That was amazing." Mulder slumped to the ground.
Obadiah had crawled off the fence. Scully grabbed
the boy and hugged him tightly.
"Hannah!" Obadiah yelled, "I saw the cows!" He
hugged her back.
"You sure did." Scully said as she slowly got to
her feet. She took Obadiah by one hand while
Mulder took the other.
The horse plodded along, retracing the route that
had brought them to the field. Obadiah was fast
asleep in Scully's lap. Scully whispered, "What
do you think just happened?"
Mulder was still in a state of euphoria. He shook
his head. "I have no idea. It could be
atmospheric, climatic, geographical, or any
combination of things." Mulder sighed. "Scully, I
am so sore."
Scully stopped rubbing Obadiah's back and began
to rub Mulder's thigh. "I think I can take care
of that later tonight," she purred. "A cool bath
for two, a backrub."
"Son of a bitch!" Mulder growled as he pulled the
cart to a halt and stood up.
"Mulder! What is it?" Scully said with alarm in
her voice.
"A weed!" And there, in the middle of the bean
field stood a tall weed taunting Mulder.
Scully just shook her head and sighed, "Oh, no,
here we go again."
Part III Thursday August 8
Scully was up early, having slept much better in
the basement where the temperature was twenty
degrees cooler than the upstairs bedroom. She
awoke to find Mulder had snuggled up against her
in the night, seeking her warmth. She dressed,
made her trip to the outhouse and went in to help
Leah get breakfast ready.
After a breakfast of home canned bacon, eggs,
toast, fruit and cereal, the men made their way
out the door to work in the fields.
Scully followed Mulder to the wagon. She
whispered to him, "Don't forget that weed." He
kissed her lightly as the boys giggled. Mulder
made a wise crack back at them, crawled into the
wagon and off they went.
The beds were all stripped and the linens
changed. Laundry was piled high in the wash
house. Leah got the gas-powered wringer washer
going while Scully filled the pot with water to
heat.
By noon the laundry was almost done and had been
hung on the line to dry. Lightly hued dresses,
dark colored trousers, along with towels,
underwear and bed quilts. Once she got the hang
of it, Scully had done most of the laundry
herself.
Leah was making lunch for the three of them.
Obadiah had been down in the cow pasture all
morning and was slowly making his way back to
the house as Scully was finishing hanging the
last of the laundry. Obadiah saw Scully and ran
to her. "Hannah, can you tell me how to spell
Buster?" Scully was taken by the boy's zest to
learn, even if he couldn't tell a C from an O
from a W yet.
Scully stooped down and took his hands in her
own. "Well, Buster is a dog. How about I teach
you how to spell dog?"
"Okay!" Obadiah jumped with excitement.
"First, how do you spell cow?'
"C-O-W!" The boy repeated.
"That's good. Now dog is D-O-G."
Obadiah repeated slowly, "D-O-G."
"That's right." Scully smiled at him. "D-O-G."
Obadiah grabbed Scully around the neck with his
small dirty hands. "I like you, Hannah."
Scully laughed and patted him on the back. "I
like you too, Obadiah."
She pulled away from him and grabbed his hand.
"Let's wash up for lunch."
They walked over to the old pump and soaped up
their hands. Scully wanted to talk to the boy
about the incident last night but she knew, now
was not the time. His attention spans being so
short and he was intent on learning how to spell
dog.
Leah already had lunch on the table. They ate
creamed turkey and biscuits along with homemade
applesauce. After lunch was cleaned up the rest
of the day was spent folding and ironing
clothes, greeting the iceman, and dusting the
house.
Leah let Scully talk her into going downstairs to
rest. That left Scully with Obadiah. She found
him playing in the dirt with his toys again. She
took four homemade cookies from the jar and
poured two glasses of milk and went outside to
sit on the front porch steps. Obadiah looked
over at her and realized she had cookies. He
jumped up and raced over to her. Scully chewed on
her cookie while he stared at her. She grinned up
at him. She wanted to see who flinched first.
He shifted his weight from foot to foot while
Scully ate the cookie. Then he pointed to the
other cookies, "Zat mine?" Scully laughed at him.
"Sure, if you want them." She handed him a cookie
as he sat one step below her. He took a healthy
bite of his cookie and a drink of his milk,
wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "Your husband is
tall," He said with a smile.
Scully nearly choked on her cookie. "Yes he is."
"I like him."
"Thank you. I do too. Did you have fun with us
last night?"
"Uh huh. Judy likes him. He goes slow."
Scully laughed.
"Did you see the cow on the highway, Obadiah?"
"Yeah. Momma says the motor cars will hurt me."
"Yes, yes they will."
"Will they hurt the cow too?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so. But the
cow didn't get hit, did it? Why is that?"
"She floated like poppa's boat."
"Do you know how she floated, Obadiah?"
"I maked her." He said as he picked up another
cookie.
Scully was floored by his revelation. Just then
Buster came up.
"Hannah!" Obadiah screamed with delight. "Buster
eat my cookie!" Obadiah laughed and took off
after the dog.
Scully sighed. Mulder was going to explode with
joy.
The men came in from the fields earlier that
usual. They wanted to clean up for the haystack
supper that was scheduled for that evening.
Scully had already dressed and was pulling her
shoes on when Mulder stomped through the bedroom
door. He dropped to the bed and fell backwards.
"Scully, I will take chasing mothmen over farming
any day."
She leaned over him to softly kiss his lips.
"Well Farmer Fox we have a supper to go to
tonight."
Mulder let out a sigh and grabbed her. "I suggest
you get your dirty paws off me."
"That sounds vaguely familiar."
"Familiar or not you need to get cleaned up."
Scully grabbed him by the hand and pulled his
towering frame up off the bed. She shoved him
down the hallway and into the bathroom.
He undressed while she ran his bath water. "I
saved this for you." Scully poured a bucket of
steaming water into the bath.
"Oh Scully, you're too good to me," he said,
climbing into the tub.
Scully pulled a small stool beside the deep tub
and sat down. "Mulder, I had a talk with Obadiah
today."
"What did he say?"
"He said he moved the cow out of the path of that
truck."
Mulder leveled his gaze at her. "How?"
"I don't know. His attention span is so short I
have a hard time talking to him."
"Sounds like you're doing fine. You really like
that boy, don't you?"
"I feel so sorry for him. The potential is there
but he isn't getting the attention he needs."
"He is from you." Mulder softly answered.
"But we'll soon be gone and where does that leave
him?"
"I don't know what to tell you, Scully. I guess
we'll figure that out later."
"Yeah, well your water is getting cold and I'm
getting hungry so haul ass, G-man."
"That's Farmer Fox to you." Mulder groaned again,
hauling said ass out of the low tub. His muscles
ached so badly, he was sure one more day would
kill him.
Mulder was soon dressed and met Scully
downstairs. She stood to follow him outside, her
eyes drinking him in. She still so loved the
looks of this man, beard and all. Beechy had
already hitched Pat and Star to the buggy. Leah
came out carrying the pies. Mulder ran over to
help her.
Beechy helped Leah climb into the front of the
buggy while Mulder helped Scully into the back.
The older children had already gone ahead with
friends. That left Obadiah standing beside the
buggy. Scully looked down at him and put out her
hand, soon he was sitting between her and Mulder.
Mulder looked over at Scully who just smiled and
shrugged her shoulders.
Beechy told stories of his childhood as the buggy
wound its way past homes and farms. At the crest
of a small hill stood a single story white
clapboard building. The wooden steps led up to a
set of wide double doors, and each side of the
building was framed with six windows. They
drove down the gravel lane to where some twenty
to thirty buggies stood. Beechy found a spot on
the hitching post and tied Pat and Star to it.
Mulder got out of the buggy and helped Scully
down, then they both helped Leah. Obadiah jumped
to the ground.
Mulder took Scully by the hand and they walked
slowly past the rows of buggies. He stopped and
looked over the site around him. "Scully, how do
they tell these things apart!"
She laughed. "Come on."
Leah and Beechy were already inside when the
agents arrived. The small room was packed with
bearded men and women in long dresses. Children
ran to and fro. A line was formed and tickets
were sold to the supper. Mulder bought two
tickets and he and Scully proceeded to get in
line to eat. The long tables were filled with
food and were overseen by the Amish women who
stood behind them, generously dishing up the
feast. Laughter permeated the air, along with
the wonderful aroma of dinner.
Mulder led Scully over to a small out of the way
table. She followed him, balancing her plate and
drink noticing the glances Mulder was generating
from the younger women. Even Amish women gawked
at him like love sick schoolgirls she thought. He
didn't notice, though, he rarely did and she
chose to keep her mouth shut.
Obadiah made his way through the crowd to stand
before Mulder and Scully holding his bowl.
"Momma says if'n I'm good I can eat by you,
Hannah." Scully scooted over on the bench she and
Mulder shared.
"Sure you can Obadiah, but wouldn't you rather
eat with the other kids?"
Obadiah looked around the room longingly at the
other children. "I don't go here with them.
You're my friend, Hannah."
Scully's eyes grew cloudy and her throat
tightened. Mulder could see she was not going to
last long if he didn't change the subject.
"Obadiah, you like cows, huh."
"And dogs!" The boy spoke up. "D-O-G, dogs." He
grinned up at Scully.
Scully smiled at him and let out a tear-choked
laugh.
"That's good." Mulder praised. "But you really
like the cows."
Obadiah was losing interest in Mulder and he
sensed he was not going to get anywhere with the
boy. He glanced over to Scully, catching her eye,
he then looked back down to Obadiah. Scully took
the cue and reached out to gently touch Obadiah's
arm. He immediately focused on her. "Obadiah,
last night when the cow was on the highway. Do
you remember?"
He nodded his head as he ate his supper.
"Good. The cow was going to get hurt by the big
truck, right?"
He nodded again.
"How did the cow get off the highway?"
Mulder looked intently at the boy but said
nothing. Scully licked her bottom lip and
glanced at Mulder then back at Obadiah.
She leaned in and softly said, "You can tell me."
"I told you she floated like Poppa's boat."
"But how did she float?" Scully took Obadiah's
hands.
"I maked her."
"You did?" Scully looked him in the eye, hoping
to keep his attention.
"She was on the highway. The truck was gonna hurt
her like it did my cousin Thomas."
"Thomas was hurt." Scully asked, her eyes big as
saucers.
"A truck hurt Thomas and he never came back."
Mulder was stunned. He scrubbed his face with his
hand.
"And you didn't want the cow to get hurt?"
Scully's voice cracked.
"Nope. I like cows. I like Thomas, too." The boy
broke eye contact with her, and turned back to
his supper.
Scully didn't know how much more of this she
could take.
"How did you make the cow float?"
Obadiah stopped eating and turned both hands up.
Mulder and Scully both let out a sigh. Obadiah
got up. "I wanna drink, Hannah."
"Can you get it by yourself." Scully asked
softly. The boy nodded and disappeared into the
crowd.
"Scully, that kid lost a cousin to the traffic
and these people still insist on riding around in
those death traps. Amazing." Mulder slumped back
against the wall.
"I know." Scully sighed. "But you believe he
controls the cows?"
"I'm not so sure. I know he thinks he does. I'm
not convinced that something else isn't going on
here. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these
folks have seen similar phenomenon, but only
Obadiah is honest enough admit it."
"Let's eat and get out of here," she said. "I've
had my heart strings tugged at enough for one
night." Mulder looked over at her and gently
rubbed her back, Scully and kids. Hell, himself
and kids were a dangerous combination these days,
they were both reaching the point of no return
for raising a child, and still didn't know what
they wanted to do about her inability to
conceive.
The supper was finished and the dishes removed.
The tables were pushed to the side and the pies
to be auctioned were brought out. All sorts of
pies soon filled the tables, cherry, apple,
rhubarb, sweet potato and various custards and
berries.
LeRoy Bontrager stepped forward and tried to
quiet the crowd. "Everyone! Everyone!" He pleaded
with his hands in the air. The room finally grew
quiet. "The pies are ready to be sold so
everyone take a good look, especially the young
men." He laughed while the girls all giggled.
"All the money we raise is going to the school
roof fund." LeRoy stepped aside and let the crowd
look over the pies. Young men came up with their
girlfriends in tow. The girl would point out the
pie she had made and the boy would nod.
Mulder was resting his hip against a table that
had been pushed aside. His arms were crossed over
his chest and one foot hung off the edge of the
table as he watched this Amish mating ritual
with interest. Scully was standing next to him
softly talking to Obadiah.
"Hannah, what pie did you bake?" he asked Scully.
"Mulder, you do not what to know!"
"Come on." He nudged her. "It can't be that bad."
Scully sighed. "Sweet potato."
"Just for me," he teased.
"Not if you value your health, it isn't." Scully
sniped back.
The crowd parted and LeRoy started the auction.
The bidding was fast and furious. The boys all
bought their girlfriends pies while Leah's
brought in the high bid of 17 dollars so far.
They were down to three pies when LeRoy held up
Scully's.
"Now who wants to open the bidding on this nice
sweet potato pie?" Mulder stood from his leaning
position and raised his hand. "I bid one hundred
dollars." A hush fell across the room, while all
eyes turned to Mulder.
"Mulder!" Scully gasped.
He looked down at her. "Hannah, it goes for a
good cause and I really like sweet potato pie."
The room burst into applause.
Later that night as the moon hung low and heavy
over the quiet fields, a woman stood outside an
outhouse hugging her robe to her body.
"I am so sorry, Mulder."
From inside the tiny building came a faint reply.
"That's ok, Scully. It wasn't your fault."
Part IV Friday August 9
The next morning breakfast was served. Mulder
had recovered and the men were on their way to
the fields. Mulder had finally gotten the hang
of handling the team. He would drive them up to a
row of wheat shocks and climb off. Then he,
Beechy and the boys would throw the wheat on with
pitchforks while the horses walked down the row.
At the end of the row Mulder would climb back on
and start the team down the next row. The horses
had done this for so many years that they were as
much a part of the team as Beechy and his sons.
Leah was looking rather pale that morning. Mary
had wondered if she should stay home with her
mother but Scully reassured her she would be
there if anything happened.
It was the day Leah did her house cleaning, but
she didn't feel well so Scully swept the floors
and washed the one in the kitchen. She dusted the
furniture and watered all the houseplants while
Obadiah ran in and out entertaining himself.
Leah went downstairs to lie down while Scully got
lunch. She fixed grilled cheese sandwiches and
opened a jar of peaches. At least she knew she
would not be poisoning anyone. She called
Obadiah in to wash his hands. He looked around
with concern on his face, "Hannah, where's
Momma?"
"She didn't feel well, Obadiah. She's downstairs
in bed."
"I wanna see her." He headed out of the kitchen
and toward the stairs when Scully grabbed his
arm. "Sweetie, Momma is tired. Why don't you eat
and then you can take her down a sandwich."
He nodded his head, seemingly satisfied for the
time being.
While Obadiah was wolfing down his sandwich
Scully was hoping to talk to him further about
the cows. "Obadiah, do you remember how to spell
cow?"
The little boys' face lit up. "'Course I do,
Hannah!" he croaked out. "C-O-W, cows." He
grinned at Scully.
"And how do cows float?"
The boy studied his sandwich intensely. "I don't
know but they do."
"DO any other animals float, Obadiah?"
"Nope. Jus' cows. I like cows." He got up from
the table. "I wanna see Momma."
Scully made another sandwich and sent it
downstairs with Obadiah. She got out a glass of
milk and followed. Obadiah was already sitting
next to Leah on the bed when she got there.
"I thought you could use this." She said as she
set the glass down.
"Thanks, Hannah." Leah didn't look well to Scully
and she thought it was more than usual final
trimester discomfort. "Leah, when did you last
see your doctor?"
"The day before you arrived."
"And he thought everything was fine?"
"He told me to take it easy. That's why I was so
glad to hear you were coming."
"Well, I want you to get some rest. I'll watch
this boy of yours. If you start to feel labor
pains, you call for me immediately." Scully said
grabbing Obadiah's nose. "And I'll see what I can
do about feeding the men," she sighed.
Late in the afternoon a car pulled up and Mary
got out. She was worried about her mother and
caught a ride home. She and Scully finished the
housework and got supper on the table.
--
Mulder had taken his bath and put on his pajama
bottoms. He found Scully already in bed in the
basement. She was so tired she had gone to bed
earlier than usual. He crawled in next to her and
turned down the oil lamp. "Rough day?" He asked
as he spooned up next to her wrapping his arm so
tightly around her that his hand rested on the
bed, curled under her ribs.
"Umm hum," she murmured.
Mulder's lips trailed the back of her neck.
"Mulder, I talked to Obadiah today." Scully
mumbled.
"What'd he say?" Mulder asked as he ran his
bearded chin across her cheek.
"Just that cows float and other animals don't."
"It's not much."
"I know Mulder, I think we're at a dead end."
"It would appear so."
"I'm sure Obadiah is involved," Scully sighed,
"But I just don't know how."
"You think he orchestrated the flying cows?"
"I don't know."
"Even if he is behind it Scully, we can't charge
him. He was nowhere near the scene; he's only
eight and no one would believe us."
"I know."
The bedroom door creaked open. Scully froze.
Mulder sat up straight. It was Obadiah. He ran
over to Scully's side of the bed crying.
"Hannah, Momma's sick."
"Oh Mulder!" Scully whispered as she quickly got
out of bed and grabbed her robe, her eyes
beseeching him to come with her, to be her
strength as he always was. He was out of the bed
and pulling his own robe over his shoulders as
Obadiah led them into the other house and down
the stairs.
Mary and Rebecca stood outside the bedroom door,
Wide-eyed and in their nightclothes. David told her
Samuel had been sent down to Fern's to use the
pay phone to call the doctor.
Scully entered the bedroom, Mulder close on her
heels not giving a thought to the modesty of the
Amish women. Beechy, sitting on the edge of the
bed holding Leah's hand seemed non-plussed by his
presence. He looked scared. Leah was covered in
sweat, despite the relative cool air of the
basement, her nightgown soaked through.
"I think it's the baby." Beechy said unable to
hide the concern in his voice. Scully gently
touched his shoulder. "Mr. Beechy would you go
get a bucket of cold water and a wash cloth." He
nodded and squeezed his wife's hand as he got up
from the bed.
"What do you want me to do?" Mulder's eyes
riveted into hers, his hands griping her
shoulders in an effort to concentrate, and to
hide his shaking hands from Leah.
"I think this baby is about to be born. Can you
get my bag from the suitcase?" Mulder nodded, he
knew which bag she meant. "You going to be
okay?" Scully drew in a deep breath. "Yeah I'll
be fine, just get the bag."
Mulder passed Beechy on the stairs. "Your wife
ever delivered a baby before?" Mulder nodded.
"Once and she has had some medical training,"
then he added, "Don't worry they'll all be fine."
Scully came out and asked Mary to get her one of
Leah's heavy white cooking aprons and some
linens and towels. She had Becky put the on
coffeepot. It looked like they would need some
before the night was through. She let Obadiah in
for a few minutes to see his mother but then
shooed everyone out except for Beechy.
Scully approached Leah and spoke quietly. "I'm
going to check you, if that's all right. I need
to know how far you're dilated."
Leah nodded, biting her bottom lip as another
contraction began. As it waned, she positioned
her hips and asked, "How do you know how to do
that?"
"I've had some training, and I've delivered a
baby or two. Don't worry, you're going to do
just fine."
Scully went to the basin and rinsed her hands.
"Well, I hope you're ready to meet your son or
daughter, because you are at an eight, and almost
fully effaced. That means we don't have much
time. Have you been laboring all day?"
"I think so, I just wanted to wait until I was a
little farther along before I went to the clinic.
The others took much longer, I thought I had
time.
Upstairs the older children were holding a prayer
vigil. Obadiah and Beechy were sitting in the
stairwell, waiting.
Mulder returned with her bag, he crossed through
the doorway as Leah screamed, a contraction
ripping through her. Mulder paled around the
mouth. "What else do you need?"
"Take my scissors and have one of the girls put
them in a pot of boiling water for ten minutes,
have her put another pot on and boil a few strips
of cloth, anything, as long as its white. When
the scissors are done have them take them out
with tongs, not touching the blade and wrap them
in a cloth they boiled. Then bring them back to
me. Have one of them bring me lots of towels,
some string, and the baby blankets that Leah was
working on.
Mulder turned to go back up the stairs, barking
orders as he went. She could hear feet flying
about, doing as he commanded.
Leah groaned through the end of another
contraction. "Your husband can give orders." She
laughed weakly, then sucked her breath in through
her teeth as another one hit. They were coming
incredibly close, Scully knew she didn't have
much time left.
"Leah, I need to check you again, and yes, he
does give orders well."
--
On the stairwell, Leah's screams were upsetting
Obadiah. "Mary." Beechy called out.
Mary approaches the stairwell. "Yeah Poppa?"
"Take your brother here and get him some food.
You might as well start breakfast. I don't think
any of us are going to be gettin' anymore sleep."
Mary took Obadiah by the hand and led him up to
the kitchen. --
Back in the basement, Scully had Leah's shoulders
propped up with pillows, allowing gravity to give
them a hand. Both of the women were drenched with
sweat.
"Ok, here we go, one more good push and you're
there. Ready? Push! Push Leah! Good, just like
that, keep going...." Scully guided the head,
then tilted the baby's body to free the
shoulders. "Stop pushing! Just breathe..." The
rest of the baby slid free, followed by blood and
remaining fluid. Scully swept the newborn's mouth
assuring that the airway was clear, then wrapped
the infant in a blanket. Holding the bundle in
one hand, she quickly applied the hemostats she
had at the ready to two sections of the cord.
Making the cut, she handed the baby to Leah.
"It's a girl." At that, the baby began to cry. --
When Mulder couldn't stand it any longer he went
outside. He had spent an hour walking up and down
the long lane in the pale moonlight with Buster
as his constant companion. Finally, Mary
appeared at the door, "Mr. Mulder, come quick!"
Mulder and Buster raced up the lane and into the
house. Leaving his new friend at the door, he
raced down to the basement. He opened the door to
the bedroom to find a crowd gathered around the
bed. He could hear faint snuffling and a soft
cry. Scully appeared from between the Beechy
children. Her hair was plastered to her face and
neck. The apron she had on was covered in blood,
saturating the nightgown beneath it. Her face was
covered in tear tracks, sweat and a large
exhausted smile.
Mulder opened his arms and she fell into them. He
put his chin on her head and rubbed her back.
"Looks like you two managed just fine."
The older kids cleared out leaving Obadiah and
Beechy with Leah. Scully led Mulder over to the
bed as a very exhausted Leah showed him her baby.
"It's a girl," she croaked out. The baby had fine
red hair and deep dark eyes. Obadiah was sitting
by his mother pulling back the baby blanket to
see his new sister. Leah softly asked, "Obadiah,
what do you think we should name her?"
The little boy looked up at his friend. "I wanna
name her Hannah." Beechy and Leah both nodded at
Scully.
Mulder grabbed her around the waist as the tears
began to fall down her face. "Come on. You need
to lie down before you fall down." He took her by
the hand and led her out of the room.
Mary had thoughtfully run a warm bathtub of water
for Scully, which she gratefully accepted. Scully
slid under the water and would have fallen
asleep if it had not been for Mulder finding her.
The only nightgown she had brought was ruined.
Mulder gave her one of his white tee shirts to
slip on.
He thought for a moment that he was going to
have to carry her downstairs to their bed but she
managed to get there on her own. Scully crawled
under the quilts and immediately fell asleep.
Mulder lingered a few minutes longer reviewing
the events of the past few days. He had dragged
her out on what was turning out to be a wild cow
chase. She had to cook and clean and deliver a
baby and for what? Out of loyalty to him. That's
what it boiled down to. No matter the case, the
heinous crimes being committed, the wrongs that
needed righting, in the end she did it because
she loved him. The occasional chance to prove him
wrong was just icing on the cake for her, he was
sure.
Saturday August 10
Beechy and the boys didn't go to the fields that
day. They worked around the barn. The doctor
finally arrived to pronounce everyone was fine.
Later that afternoon Scully finally awoke. She
felt slightly disoriented, the events of the last
few days had all run together in her mind. She
got out of bed and dressed. Coming out of the
bathroom she met Mulder. "I was just coming to
check on you." Scully yawned, "What's going on?"
Mulder leaned against the stair railing. "The
doctor was here, everyone's fine."
"That's good," Scully nodded as she started down
the stairs.
Mulder grabbed her wrist. "You hungry?" Scully
leaned over the railing. "I need some coffee
first then eat." Mulder didn't release her wrist
but stepped around the railing behind her. "Let's
go out for dinner."
Scully leaned back into him. "Where would we go?"
Mulder placed his hand on her back and began
walking downstairs. "Ferns."
"Great!" Scully replied. "I don't have to cook."
"I know!" Mulder laughed.
Beechy sent the family to Fern's for supper. The
boys hitched Pat and Star to the buggy and off
they all went. Mary promised Beechy she would
bring supper back for him and Leah. The ride to
the diner was a happy one with the kids all
chatting about the newest member of their
family. Mulder and Scully sat in the back of the
buggy taking it all in.
The moment they got to Fern's the older kids went
off to sit with their friends and tell them the
good news. Mulder and Scully sat at a small
table with Obadiah. Soon heaping plates of
chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes and buttered
homemade bread was set in front of them. Mary
came over and told Scully that they would be
going home with their friends but she would drop
her folks supper off first.
Obadiah was table-hopping, telling the family
friends about his new sister. Scully was well fed
and for once, thanks to the air conditioner,
cool. She sipped her coffee while Mulder ate a
large piece of German Chocolate pie. She knew
they hadn't solved the case and it began to look
like they wouldn't, but she had learned so much
in the past week about the Amish, about family,
about Mulder and best of all about herself.
Obadiah came over to their table and Scully
lifted him up onto her lap. He hugged her around
the neck and she hugged him back. He was so
honest with his emotions, she thought she could
learn something from this small boy.
Mulder paid the bill and unhitched the team from
the post. He had learned to handle the buggy
well enough to suggest they take a ride through
the countryside. Scully stepped up into the
buggy; instead of sitting in the back seat
Obadiah crawled over the seat to sit next to
her. Mulder got in the buggy and looked down at
the kid sitting next to him. He had always
worried Scully would lose her heart to another
man, he just thought he would be over eight years
old.
Mulder slapped the reins and Pat and Star headed
down State Road 5. The buggy turned the next
corner and went past the crime scene but Mulder
didn't stop. There was no use in looking for
what wasn't there. It was time to make some
decisions about the things they had seen, and go
home.
They passed a white farmhouse with kerosene lamps
hung in the windows. Children played outside near
a large family garden. The buggy had just passed
the next crossroads when a car roared up behind
them and pulled around them close enough to scare
the horses. Mulder managed to bring them under
control while the car left clouds of dust in the
loose gravel as it drove off.
As the dust was clearing Mulder saw the car
headed for them. It skidded to a stop in front of
them, blocking the road. The horses reared up
but once again Mulder was able to handle them.
The car door swung open and out stepped a man.
Mulder sized him up and figured he was about 5'
8" tall, maybe 160 pounds and in his late twenties.
He had on jeans and a work shirt from a garage, with
the name 'John' on the pocket, and a large buck
knife strapped to his leg. Mulder glanced at
Scully and went for his gun, but he hadn't been
carrying it undercover.
Another man close in build to the first got out
of the other side of the car. He walked up to
Scully's side and leaned in the buggy, leering at
Scully and said, "Howdy folks." John just stood
next to the car and watched his friend.
"Hello," Mulder replied as he glanced over at
Scully and Obadiah. The boy looked scared.
"You folks know you was in our way?"
"We're sorry." Scully said.
"That don't cut it!" The guy snapped.
John let out a harsh bark of laughter. "You tell
'em, Ray."
Mulder was getting pissed. "We pay our taxes, we
have every right to use this road."
Ray ran his fingers over Scully's hand and said,
"I don't give a fuck what you're rights are, you
was in our way!"
John began to laugh, but made no move to leave
his position, leaning against the car. Mulder
looked around for any possible help but all he
saw was wheat to the left and cows in the pasture
on the right. The road was narrow with no houses
on it.
Ray grabbed Scully's hand, an ugly look
blanketing his features. "Hey bitch, is it true
that you girls don't wear anything under those
dresses?"
Mulder went from angry to blind fury in a flash.
He knew Scully was in danger, and turned to leap
from the buggy. As his feet hit the ground, John
was there and took a swing. His fist connected
with Mulder's right cheek, knocking him into the
side of the buggy.
Before he could recover, John shoved him to the
gravel road, kicking him in the ribs as he hit
the ground. The wind hopelessly knocked out of
him, and dazed from the beating, Mulder lie in
the dirt. John then turned his attention to Ray,
who had pulled Scully from the buggy and was now
struggling with her.
Scully fought her captor blindly, thinking only
of getting to Mulder before the other man beat
him to death. She screamed his name, placing a
few strategic kicks but was unable to free
herself. When she saw John come around the buggy,
she knew this was it.
Obadiah had witnessed the struggle and began to
cry. Both men had Scully now. She was fighting
them off as best she could. But she was rapidly
losing ground, as they began to drag her toward
their car. She looked over her shoulder and
screamed to the boy, "Run! Obadiah, run!"
The boy clamored out of the back of the buggy and
started to run when he realized where they were
taking his friend. He came to a stop, turned and
ran toward the fence.
Mulder had managed to get to his feet by
supporting himself on the buggy wheel. With his
eye swollen shut and fire in his ribs, he
struggled to a standing position intent on
getting to Scully before the men left with her.
Obadiah made it to the fence where the cows were
grazing and looked at them. Suddenly Mulder saw a
large Holstein rise up and fly toward the car. He
yelled, "Scully get down!" Scully managed to
twist out of the grasp of the men and fall to the
gravel road just as the cow slammed into the
pair.
I would laugh, if it didn't hurt so much, Mulder
thought. The unsuspecting bovine missile took out
both men with one shot. Squashed up against the
car, grabby hands Ray was out cold, falling like
a sack of rocks to the ground. John, who used
Mulder's ribcage for field goal practice was not
so lucky. He also lie on the road, next to his
prone companion but he was still conscious.
Judging from the moaning and blubbering he was
doing, John was severely injured. Mulder looked
over at Obadiah. "You did good kid," he said as
he allowed himself to slide to the ground.
Scully found some rope and a roll of duct tape in
the trunk and tightly bound both men and left them
sitting beside the car. She helped Mulder back
into the buggy and he managed to get them back
to Fern's where they called the police.
Within minutes the Lagrange County sheriffs
department was on scene. It turned out both men
were wanted on outstanding felony warrants and
they were suspected in the rapes of six Amish
woman over the past year. Mulder was being
checked out by an EMS technician but he refused
transport. Scully was full of abrasions from the
gravel but she too signed off.
Jacob Yoder came by and took the buggy home while
Mulder and Scully made their statements. Scully
saw Mulder take an Indiana State Police
detective aside and talk to him. He pulled out
his wallet and she was positive his FBI ID had just
been flashed. He pointed over to her. The
detective glanced her way and nodded. The two men
talked a few more minutes and then Mulder patted
him on the back and hobbled over to the rear of
the EMS where she sat with Obadiah. "Come on you
two. We're getting a lift home." Mulder took
Scully by the elbow while she held Obadiah's
hand.
The State Police cruiser pulled up in front of
the Beechy home, the agents exited slowly,
mindful of their injuries. Obadiah was unusually
quiet, being overwhelmed by both the incident and
getting his first ride in a car.
Mulder leaned back in and thanked the officer,
shaking his hand before shutting the car door.
Beechy was standing on the porch. Obadiah ran to
his father, jumped into his arms and looked back
at Mulder and Scully. The boy's face was filled
with concern as he watched Mulder limp up the
porch steps supported by Scully.
Beechy held the door open then followed them in
to the living room, still holding his son. Scully
led Mulder to the couch where she helped him
lower to sit, groaning all the way down. Scully
sat down gingerly next to him. Both agents were
dirty and bandaged. They sat with their
shoulders slumped.
Beechy sat down across from them. Obadiah
immediately crawled off his father's lap and
began playing with his toys. Beechy spoke first.
"I heard what happened."
Mulder nodded. "Did you hear how it ended?"
"They said a cow trampled those two."
"Not exactly. The cow flew through the air,
pinning them against the car," Mulder said
lowering his voice.
"Who knows what might have happened if it
hadn't." Scully glanced over at Mulder, taking
his hand and gently squeezing it.
"Flying cows! Cows can't fly. That's utter
nonsense."
"They do with help from your son." Mulder looked
into Beechy's eyes.
"My son, Obadiah? What's he got to do with this?"
"I'm not exactly sure but I do know he can
levitate cattle, Agen... Hannah has witnessed it
too." Obadiah sat on the floor playing with his
set of farm animals oblivious to what was going
on around him.
"It's true, sir." Scully lifted her head to look
at Beechy.
"This is crazy! Ain't no man nor child that can
do that!" Beechy was becoming exasperated.
"Obadiah can." The voice came from Leah who had
slowly crept up stairs. All eyes turned to look
at her except for Obadiah's who was lost in his
own world. Scully got up and helped Leah to a
chair.
Beechy stared at his wife in disbelief. "Why do
you speak such nonsense, woman?"
"Because it's true." Leah said as she sat down in
the chair, looking intently at her husband.
Scully returned to her place next to Mulder.
Leah went on to explain. "Beechy, it runs in my
family. I heard tell of my poppa having the
gift, but it skips generations. It only shows up
in boys about Obadiah's age and only last one
growing season. I was relieved when David and
Samuel didn't show any signs of this ability."
She sighed, "Then Obadiah came along and I didn't
know what to do."
Obadiah left his toys and moved over to stand
beside his mother. "I'm sorry Momma." His large
eyes watching her closely for the disapproval he
feared he would find.
Leah hugged the small boy to her, relieving his
anxieties with a soft smile. "It's okay son."
Scully spoke up. "Obadiah, come here." The boy
walked over and stood before Scully. She took his
hands. "You saved my life and helped the police
catch two very bad men." She brushed the hair out
of his eyes.
He smiled up at her. "Hannah, they were gonna
take you 'way like Thomas. I miss Thomas."
"I know you do." Scully kissed his head and
hugged him. "But you mustn't make the cows float
again, okay? I would be very sad if you were
hurt. Promise me?"
Obadiah looked her in the eyes. "Okay Hannah, I
promise."
Beechy looked at Leah. Leah smiled at him and
said, "Beechy it's called Ovan Akta."
Mulder looked at her nodding his head and said,
"Swedish for Unusual gift." Scully turned a
raised eyebrow to him.
--
Later that night Mulder and Scully lay in their
bed. Scully was on her side with her head propped
up on her hand playing with the tape that
covered Mulder's bruised ribs. Mulder was lying
flat on his back with a hand resting on his
stomach. "Mulder, how did you know what Ovan
Akta meant?"
"I've read about it. Ovan Akta was mentioned in
an article on Jacob Ammon, founder of the Amish.
See, most of the Amish was originally from
Sweden. They formed when the church split into
the Amish and the Mennonites, depending on whom
they followed. I just didn't know what the
'unusual gift' was until now.
Scully sighed. "So what do we do now?"
Mulder took her hand in his. "We head back to
D.C. tomorrow."
"And what about Obadiah?"
"You heard Leah, it only lasts one growing
season, and this season will be over soon."
Scully laid her head on the soft pillow of
Mulder's arm. "I just wish I could do more," she
sighed.
Mulder ran his hand down her arm. "You will." He
kissed her head. "I have faith in you." Mulder
reached over to turn out the oil lamp.
--
Sunday Aug 11th
The next morning found Mulder and Scully up and
packed. Mulder told Beechy of their intention to
return to Pennsylvania. Beechy had David hitch
up the team to take them to the bus stop.
Scully carried a suitcase outside and sat it on
the ground. She turned, squinting at the bright
sun, taking a long look at the houses. She closed
her eyes briefly, then reentered the house. She
followed the stairs up to the master bedroom,
softly knocking on the door. Leah called to her,
and she opened the door to find Obadiah sitting
with his mother. They were looking at the baby
Leah held in her arms. Leah looked up at Scully,
"Beechy tells me you're leaving."
"Yes. We're needed back home." Scully trailed a
finger softly down the baby's cheek, memorizing
her tiny features.
"I'll miss you Hannah, but I think there's
someone here who will miss you even more."
Obadiah climbed off the bed and ran around it to
hug Scully. She bent down and held the small boy
tightly to her as tears washed over her face.
She pushed him back and looked at him, letting
out a tear choked giggle. Mulder and Beechy came
in. Scully stood up and patted Obadiah's head.
"How do you spell cow?"
"C-O-W, cows!" The boy piped up.
"And dog?"
"D-O-G, dog!" He grinned at her.
Mulder smiled at Scully as she pulled a small
card out of her pocket. She wiped her eyes on her
sleeve and laughed in embarrassment. She handed
the card to Leah as she sat down on the edge of
the bed. "Leah, this card is from a friend of
mine, Dana Scully."
Mulder stared at her wide-eyed, but said nothing
as Scully continued. "She works for the FBI in
Washington, D.C. and is going to find a school
here that will give Obadiah the attention he
needs."
Beechy moved over to the bed to look at the card
that Leah held in her hand. Scully ran her tongue
across her bottom lip. "He isn't slow Beechy. He
has a learning disability. My guess is he could
be helped and then placed back into your school
system with the other kids."
Leah called her son over. "Hear that Obadiah, you
might get to go to school after all."
The boys' face lit up, "Really Momma?"
Scully leaned down and ran her fingers over the
baby's downy-soft head. "You take care of little
Hannah here."
"Oh we will." Leah smiled. --
Beechy and Obadiah accompanied Mulder and Scully
to the buggy that would take them back to
Shipshewana. Scully put her purse on the back
seat and turned to Obadiah. She squatted down and
held out her arms. The boy ran to her. "I'm
gonna miss you!" she softly said, kissing the
small boy on the cheek.
"Me too." Obadiah smiled at her.
Scully took his face into her hands. "I'm going
to write to your momma and ask how you're doing."
"'k" The boy grinned at her. She released him and
turned to climb into the buggy.
She looked out the side window, "And Obadiah, no
more flying cows." She smiled.
"Okay, Hannah!" He yelled back to her as he
turned to run barefooted down the cow path with
Buster at his side.
Mulder thrust out his hand. "Beechy."
Beechy grasp Mulder hand and arm. "Mulder, it's
been nice having you here."
"Sorry about the team." Mulder grinned
sheepishly.
"That's okay. I have the cleanest bean field in
the county now." Beechy laughed.
Mulder stepped up into the buggy and sat down
next to Scully. David climbed in and took the
reins. Soon Pat and Star were headed down the
lane. Beechy waved from the front porch and
turned to go into the house.
Scully took a Kleenex out of her purse and
noisily blew her nose. Mulder started to laugh
but his ribs hurt too much.
David pulled into the parking lot at Yoder's
department store. He brought the horses to a stop
and got down to help Scully out of the buggy. He
gathered up their bags and sat them in a pile
near them. Mulder shook the boys' hand and patted
him on the back. He then ran his hand over Star's
slick back and patted the horse as she fell in
step with Pat. David waved as he started out the
parking lot.
Around the corner of the department store came an
Indiana State Police car. Scully got in the
cruiser while the trooper loaded their bags into
the trunk. Mulder moved around the car and pulled
the other rear door open. He gingerly sat down,
pulling in his long legs. They were soon on US
highway 20 headed to Michiana Regional airport in
South Bend. They both changed clothes in the
security room at the airport and boarded a flight
bound for D.C. --
Epilogue
Two days later Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox
Mulder were seated before A.D. Walter Skinner in
his office. Skinner adjusted his glasses and
after scanning the last page of the agents
report, flipped it shut. "So you were able to
confirm that Federal Forestry Agent Joe Warren
was indeed killed by a cow?"
Mulder looked Skinner straight in the eyes. "Yes,
sir."
Skinner added. "And it would appear that you
apprehended two men behind a series of brutal
rapes in the Northeastern Indiana's Amish
Community."
"Yes, sir," Scully answered.
Skinner folded his hands together over the
report. "Good work agents." Both agents nodded
and rose from their chairs to leave.
Scully had just stepped through the open door
when Skinner called out. "Oh, and Agent Mulder."
Mulder turned. "Yes, sir?"
"Lose the beard."
"Yes, sir."
They continued down the hall. Scully smirked up
at her bearded partner. "Told you so."
"He just suffers from follicle jealousy."
~ The End ~
Notes: I live in the heart of Northeastern
Indiana's Amish country and have always felt
there had to be an X File lurking there.
FoxfireX and myself were on a chat one night
acting silly when we came up with flying cows.
(I've always loved the cow scene from Rain King)
We did a little research on the Amish and their
traditions and wove them into the story. I hope
we have shown these gentle souls in a good light
and if not, no harm was intended. They are good
people who are true to their faith and not
sideshow amusements for tourist enjoyment. The
Asian beetle was a real threat. All the Amish
first and last names we used are real, but not
these particular individuals. The dogs' and
horses' names are also those chosen by Amish.
There is a new birthing center in Lagrange County
and haystack suppers really are held. The food is
all authentic Amish cuisine. Of course the X
File is fictional and as far as I know Amish cows
do not fly. To my partner in fanfiction FoxfireX,
as soon as you came in off the ledge and realized
we could do this, it turned into a wildly fun
project. I can do the skeletal part of a story,
but it takes you to flesh it out and make it
readable, and you were the one to find that
wonderful title 'Ovan Akta' in your research. One
more thing, Fern's does exist, and the noodles
are great! GG7
More Notes: We did it, Geeg! I'm really glad I
came in off that ledge to finish it, it was a
great ride. You have the ability to come up with
the greatest story ideas that are always tinged
with humor. The nights were sometimes long, but
it was worth it (even that night you suggested I
go out and paint one of my cows for the picture).
I am grateful for the opportunity to get to know
the Amish in more detail, they have facets to
their lives and faith that I would never have
fathomed.
Oh, and no cows were injured in the making of
this story. Although there should be a law about
injuring Mulder so often. FoxfireX